This week in Korea

Rain has landed the lead role in a new Hollywood movie, Ninja Assassin.

If that isn't the face of a ninja assassin, I don't know what is.

On his website, Rain (26) had once stated that he was so dedicated to becoming the best singer and dancer that he could be, that he has never had time for a girlfriend.

What a sacrifice for one's craft, eh? It certainly takes a special kind of man who can spend day after day, month after month, and year after year among male dance choreographers, hair stylists and back up dancers without even a moment to spare for female companionship.

Shiny happy Japanese tourists posing in front of the smoldering remains of Sungnyemun.

Brought back some good memories, perhaps.

According to anonymous sources, the previous night these tourists stayed up late watching news reports on the fire while singing the lyrics to a Bloodhound Gang song ("the loop, the loop, the loop is on pieya")

A 52-year-old man was caught for attempting to eat his landlady's pet dog.

The man, identified as Park, took the pet Chihuahua into his room, while his 69-year-old landlady Jeon was in the bathroom. He then killed the dog and attempted to cook it at the boarding house in Jongno, Seoul, Monday afternoon.

Park tried to scorch the dog before cooking it in his room, but his clothes in the room caught fire and emitted smoke. His neighbors called the firefighters and his attempt to cook the dog was detected by neighbors and firefighters, according to police.

Police quoted Park, drunk when apprehended, as saying, ``I did so because I was hungry.''